Shelby's Return
by ismellapples
Summary: When the Berry's turned around, they were met with an extremely unwelcome surprise.
1. Chapter 1

It was the day of Regionals, and Rachel was excitedly pacing her extremely large and poster-covered room. She was waiting for Finn, her boyfriend, and now fiance, to arrive. They had been planning to have their wedding after Regionals, however, with all the stress of the performances and Karofskey's attempt at suicide, thankfully unsuccessful, they had decided together to move the date to after graduation, sometime in the summer, though the date was not set.

He was going to drive them to McKinley in his truck, then the New Directions had rented a wheelchair friendly bus to drive them out to the competition so they could go all together.

She looked out her window as he pulled up, and dashed down the stairs to get the front door before one of her dads could. With her dance bag in hand, she kissed her dads good-bye and quickly walked to Finn's truck.

She took her seat and pecked him on the cheek.

"Drive!" she commanded, pointing in front of them.

He did as she asked and they found themselves at the school shortly. Finn got out and walked around to open Rachel's door, then they walked, hand-in-hand to the door of the bus. They took their seats with the rest of the excited glee club.

"Okay! Is everybody ready to go?" Mr. Schuester asked once the last two had taken their seats. They all nodded their agreement, and the driver started the bus and drove off.

The drive was filled with singing of show-tunes, Whitney, and, of course, Michael. By the time they arrived, everyone's spirits were high and they were all pumped up and ready to perform.

Once they made their way to the green room, there was a frenzy of make-up, hair, and dress adjustments. After the club had settled, though, they tuned in to the other groups performances that were about to start.

The first to go was Aural Intensity. They were good, but New Directions was sure that the group was not major competition. They sang a Queen medley, obviously taking direction from Vocal Adrenaline's obvious obsession with the group. The team was not going to be too much competition.

Next was the Warblers. They were the biggest competition, but even still, ND was confident in their decisions.

There was a ten-minute break between each performance, where the audience could get refreshments, and converse out in the lobby of the auditorium.

The team headed out on stage to get into position for their first song, 'Fly/I believe I can Fly.' The whole performance, by both the Warblers and the New Directions, is dedicated to Karofskey and other victims of depression and suicide.

The song goes over very well, and after, the Trouble tones stay on to perform their version of Kelly Clarkson's 'Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You).' The song is amazing. After they clear the stage, Rachel comes out alone, and sings the first few lines to the Halestorm song, 'Here's to Us.'

As she starts the first chorus, she looks out across the auditorium, past her dads and the other teams, to a familiar-looking lone figure standing at the back of the room. Wearing her signature purple blouse, Shelby Corcoran, her estranged mother, is watching her performance.

Rachel thought that she had left after the whole fiasco at the Sectionals competition. She was so consumed in the thought of her mother being here, that she missed a couple notes in the end of the chorus, which successfully pulled her out of her reverie and back into the song.

Fortunately, no one had noticed her momentary lapse. So, with a renewed, and very forced show face, Rachel finished her song without too great of a difficulty, although she made sure to avoid looking too closely at the back of the auditorium.

After the performance came to a close, she ran off stage to the the green room while the judges deliberated. The whole club was excitedly jumping about and cheering excitedly at their amazing job. Rachel, on the other hand, found herself unable to join her friends and teammates in their congratulations. She simply couldn't get her mind off of her mother.

Fortunately her mind was forced off the subject as they were called back out to the stage. She and her team walked up to stand on the far right side as one of the judges came out to announce the winner. She grabbed Finn and Britney's hands, as they were standing right beside her, tightly.

"In third place," said the judge. "We have Aural Intensity!" The audience in the auditorium clapped as the slightly subdued show choir received their trophy and walked off-stage.

"And the winner of this year's Regionals Competition is...the New Directions!"

The audience cheered loudly as Mr. Schue was presented with the large trophy. They ran off stage, even more excited and changed out of their costumes. Loudly talking with and congratulating each other on their win. Even Rachel joined in, momentarily forgetting about her mother's presence in her great excitement.

The members of ND had made plans to have a party at Breadsticks after the competition. So after they had finished dressing, they headed out to greet their parents, and leave for the restaurant. Rachel's dads were waiting for her outside the dressing room with a bouquet of flowers. She grabbed the beautiful yellow roses from them and threw herself at them.

She was literally almost crying with happiness. This was one step closer to Nationals, NYADA, and her dream of Broadway. Her dads kissed her on the cheek and set her down. She looked up at them, eyes still glinting with tears.

"I love you Daddy's!"

Hiram rolled his eyes.

"What do you want Rachy?"

She told them about her plans with her team to head out to Breadsticks for a celebratory party, and, receiving their permission, ran off to tell Finn.

As Hiram and LeRoy turned around, they were met with a slightly unwelcome surprise.


	2. Chapter 2

"What are you doing here, Shelby?" asked Hiram. "Haven't you caused her enough hurt for one lifetime?"

Shelby held up her hands in defense.

"I am not here to hurt her, I swear. I really just want to apologize. I hurt her so much, now that I have truly experienced what it is like to be a mother, I am ready to actually become a part of her life. I wasn't ready before, and I would have only hurt her."

As she saw LeRoy getting ready to cut in, she quickly said, "Yes, I know I did hurt her, very badly, but I need to talk to her, _please."_

Without realizing it, she had clasped her hands together in almost a begging gesture. She quickly straightened up out of that position. Even in this situation, Shelby Corcoran never begged.

She looked at them imploringly waiting for an answer. The two men appeared to be having a silent conversation, so she backed up to give them a few moments to discuss.

After she waited for what felt like hours, though in reality was probably no more than a few minutes, the Berry's motioned for her to come over to them.

"We decided that we would talk to Rachel tonight or tomorrow and see if she wants to talk to you. We are not going to force her to let you talk to her, it is her decision. We will give her your number and let her decide, but that is all we are going to do," said LeRoy.

Shelby sighed, she supposed that was the best she was going to get for now.

"Thank you, really. Thank you so much for even trying. I swear if she does choose to give me another chance, I will not wreck it again. I won't hurt her."

"We are hoping that is true, Shelby. Goodnight, now."

"Good night, Hiram, LeRoy."

With that, the two men walked out to their cars, and Shelby followed a moment later, thinking about how she would convince Rachel to forgive her if the girl did give her a chance.

* * *

That night, when Rachel got home after a long night of toasts-with sodas of course, cheers, and lots of food, she was ready to collapse on the bed and just go to sleep. Her dads, on the other hand, apparently hand something else in mind, as she heard them knock softly on the door.

"Rachy, can we come in please?" her Daddy said.

"Yeah, I guess, I'm about to go to bed though."

Her dads came in and sat down on the bed next to her, watching her carefully.

"Daddy's, I didn't drink, I swear."

"Oh, Honey, we're not worried about that-we know you're much too focused on your career for something like that." Hiram said, looking imploringly at LeRoy.

He obliged, knowing Hiram couldn't stand to talk about Shelby with Rachel, knowing how much the woman had hurt his baby.

"Sweetheart, your mother was at your performance tonight," he said, waiting for a reaction. He didn't get one, aside from the widening of her eyes ever so slightly, so he continued.

"She came and talked with us after the competition was over...actually, right after you ran off to go to your party. She wants to speak with you. She said she was sorry." At this, Rachel's reaction was audible, she gasped loudly, tears forming in her eyes, slowly leaving tracks down her cheeks.

"Rachy, you don't have to talk with her if you don't want to. We told her it was up to you, whatever you wanted. You have absolutely nothing to be worried about. I promise." Hiram was almost as hysterical as his daughter; he was where Rachel had gotten her dramatics, and Shelby of course.

Leroy cut in here, knowing he would have to get something sensible in before Hiram and Rachel both became inconsolable. "Hey, hey, hey, it's alright, baby, you're okay." He made calming noises in her ears and rocked her back and forth a bit before she calmed down and looked at him sadly.

"Daddy, what should I do? I don't want her to leave me again!"

"Rachel, we cannot make this decision for you. It's up to you alone to decide. We told Shelby we would give you her number so you can think about it. You don't have to call her, just think about it for a while. We know that you'll make the right choice for you Sweetheart. Okay?"

Rachel wiped her eyes and looked at him, "Yeah. Goodnight Daddy's, I love you."

"Love you, Honey."

"Love you, too, Rach."

As her dads left the room, Rachel lay back on her bed with a sigh, staring at the piece of paper in her hands that held her mother's number. It was in her mother's handwriting. She gazed at it for a while, just thinking about what she should do. In the end, she fell asleep clutching the paper to her.

* * *

The next morning, Rachel had a few blissful second where she only remembered the success of her team at Regionals. Then the whole problem with her mother came flooding back to the forefront of her mind and that was all she could think about.

Trying to keep some of the normalcy in her life, she went through her usual morning routine. She walked over to her elliptical and exercised for thirty minutes before heading in to the bathroom to shower and get ready for school. That took about twenty minutes total, so Rachel headed down the stairs to get some breakfast.

They were out of soy milk, so she settled on a banana and a granola bar. Quickly finishing that off, she packed her lunch and got on her shoes. She was about to head out the door when she happened to glance at the clock and realized it was not yet seven. In fact, it was just hitting six-thirty. She had been so focused this morning on trying not to think of her mother, that she had gone through her routine much faster than usual.

She sat down on the couch in her living room with a huff. Now she was pretty much being forced to think about this.

"Darn you, Universe!" she muttered under her breath.

In reality, she knew that she was eventually going to want to talk to her mother, but she couldn't convince her heart to agree. Shelby had hurt her so many times, and though it was hard for Rachel to resign herself to seeing her, Shelby needed to explain herself.


	3. Chapter 3

After a long and blissfully uneventful day at McKinley, Rachel finally arrived home. She was planning on calling Shelby that night, but felt like she needed to prepare herself in case things went wrong and Shelby didn't actually care about her. She grabbed a glass of water and her old stuffed bear, that, though ridiculous at her age, somehow always managed to comfort her and make her feel better.

She sat down at her desk and dialed the number. She stared at her phone, every time the screen went black, she brought it back to life, but she simply could not get herself to push the 'call' button. Her dad, LeRoy, came in and sat next to her.

"Do you want me to push it?" he asked. He somehow understood that she couldn't do it and was going to help her if she wanted it.

Rachel nodded and he pushed the 'call' button. He quickly got up and left, calling back an 'I love you,' before closing the door and walking down the hall to his room.

Shelby was stirring the pot of noodles, thinking about Rachel.

Would she call her? Would she not? If she did, would she want to meet somewhere-or would she ask Shelby to just leave her alone? Shelby didn't think she could deal with that. Rachel had to want to talk to her. She just had to.

She drained the noodles and put them into a bowl for her and Beth. Beth had turned two a few weeks ago and could mostly be trusted to eat her food without making too much of a mess.

"Din-din, Mama?" Beth asked her sweetly.

"Yes, Bethy. Spaghetti." Shelby replied.

Her phone range as she placed Beth's bowl in front of her, and she jumped to grab it. Shelby had been doing that all day, but it hadn't been Rachel yet. She was still hoping her daughter would call, though. Looking down, she saw that it was an unrecognized number, but I pressed the 'talk' button anyway.

"Shelby Corcoran speaking,"

"He-hello?" She could hear the quiver in Rachel's voice as she responded to her mother's greeting.

"Rachel, I'm so happy you called. First and most importantly, I am so sorry if I hurt you. I am so, so, so sorry. I wanted to know, also, if you would be alright with meeting me somewhere so we could talk in person."

Shelby waited for a moment without any response from Rachel.

"Rachel?"

A few seconds later, a quiet response came through the phone.

"Yeah, that would be...ok."

"Would Breadsticks be okay for you? Maybe tomorrow at 6? Is that good?"

"Yes, yeah, that's fine. I'll see you then. Bye Shelby."

Shelby heard the line disconnect. After telling Beth that she was going to be right back, she left the room quickly, then, once she was out of her hearing, collapsed into a crying mess.

Rachel threw herself onto the bed and sobbed into her pillow. Her mother did want to talk to her, she did care.

Before she could get overly emotional, though, reality sent a crushing blow. Shelby wanted her now, but just now. She had left before and there was no way she would be sticking around very long. The last time she had been here, she stayed, what, four months. And, to top it off, she talked to Rachel only about twice. And one of the two instances Rachel initiated. Last, but worst, Shelby slept with Puck. That was about the most ridiculous thing she had ever done.

Now that she had thought it through, Rachel didn't know if she did want to meet Shelby. Unfortunately, she had already agreed to it, and, unlike her mother, Rachel kept her promises. She wouldn't give up, not yet anyway.

When she woke up the next morning, Rachel realized that there was no way she was going to make it trough the school day. She told her dads that she was staying home that day, and, thankfully, they didn't give her any trouble about it.

She never missed school, so when she said she couldn't go in, they knew she was serious.

After her fathers left for work, Rachel popped in her favorite movie, _Funny Girl_, and settled down for a day of Barbra. However, even her favorite movie could not distract her from her issues with her mother-she had no idea what to do. It was in emergencies like these that she called the only person who actually understood her position. Who had a parent walk away from them. And even though he was part of the reason she hated her mother, she knew he could and would help her.

She punched in the numbers and waited for him to pick up.

"You've got Puck-what's up?"

"Noah, can you come over. I don't know what to do-" She was cut off before she could finish.

"I'm on my way right now. I'll be there in five."

He hung up and she flung herself onto the couch pillows. True to his word, five minutes later there was a quick knock at the door and she trudged over to the door to reveal an anxious-looking Noah.

Closing the door behind him, he scooped Rachel into a crushing hug and she sobbed into his shoulder. He didn't know what was wrong, but he was going to kill whoever did this to his friend. She was like his little sister-and though he didn't treat her all that well at school, he really cared about her. He hated seeing her like this. The last time she had been anything like this was when Shelby left the first time-then it clicked. Shelby must have done something to her. That woman was always walking in and out of her life, and it wasn't fair. His dad had left him once and he hated that man. But at least he hadn't given him new hope and yanked it right back.

He really had loved Shelby, but she could not hurt Rachel and expect it to be okay. Ever.

In the end, he lifted her in his arms and brought her up to her room, laying her on the bed.

"Shhhhhh, shhhh, it's okay Rachel. It's alright. What's wrong, Princess?" He always considered her his Jewish Princess.

She smiled slightly at the nickname and answered in a quiet voice.

"Shelby'sbackandI'mmeetinghertonight." She told him, all in one breath.

"Hold on, you're going to have to repeat that," he said.

She sighed dramatically, and he smiled. "I said, Shelby's back and I'm meeting her tonight-at Breadsticks."

"Oh, God. Rachel are you alright? Sorry-stupid question. Did she tell you why?"

"She said something about being sorry, and she wanted to make it up to me. I was pretty lost myself."

Puck sat and thought for a minute...

"Would it help if I came with you tonight? It might make everything a bit easier, having someone that you're comfortable with near you. I could intervene also, if it was getting to be too much for you. I wouldn't even have to sit with you guys-but maybe a few tables away..." he trailed off, looking at her for a reaction.

She looked, actually, quite relieved at the idea. "Thank you, Noah. That would be so much help, it really would."

She looked at her bedside clock and realized that it was nearing five o' clock.

"Do you want to go home and change or are you good with what you're wearing now?" She questioned him.

"I'm good in this."

"Ok, I'm going to get ready-you can wait here or downstairs-whatever you want."

She grabbed some jeans and a knit top and walked into the bathroom to change and wash up. She washed her face and straightened her hair, wanting to look nice and put-together tonight. She didn't want her mother to know she was nervous.

"She applied some light make-up and adjusted the top one more time before walking out of the bathroom, grabbing some flats, and heading downstairs. She picked up her purse.

"Noah, are you ready?"

He followed her out the front door and waited for her to lock it, before they climbed into his truck and started towards the popular Lima restaurant.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, so I wanted to thank everybody who reviewed my story! I really appreciate it. BroadwayBound2016, Drea LuRuiz, Sillystarshine, and I don't know who the other person is, but thanks you guys! I am always so happy to get those. I'll try to respond to your comments, but I am also trying to write the chapters so I get ahead. So sorry if I don't personally respond to your reviews, but I'll attempt to mention everyone who does review in this part. Thanks again.

~Abigail

* * *

Rachel, reluctant to leave the car and finally face the meeting with her mother, sat checking over her make-up and hair once more. Both she and Noah knew what she was doing, but he did not bother her; he really understood what she was dealing with. She was thankful it was him that she had told, and no one else.

After about five minutes of this, though, he said, "Rachel, you don't have to do this. She quit on you so many times, it isn't like she wouldn't deserve it. But if you do want to talk to her, which I have a feeling you do, you're going to have to go in there. Even if it is just to blow up and then storm out-we both know you can do that part!"

She half smiled and he grinned, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Alright, let's go." She answered. "I do want...well, need to talk to her. But you are going to be there with me right? And you'll sit with me?"

"The whole time-I won't leave unless that is what you want me to do. Okay?"

She nodded her consent and stepped out of the car, grabbing his hand when he walked around the car. He led her into the restaurant and she looked around quickly. He pulled her arm and motioned to the table her where her mother sat, watching them.

It might have been his imagination, but he thought she looked hurt seeing himself and her daughter holding hands. Unfortunately, he really couldn't have cared less what she felt right now, not after hurting his Princess.

He led her over to the table, glancing back every now and then to make sure she wasn't freaking out. He wasn't going to let her do this if she wasn't ready.

They sat down in the booth, making sure that Rachel was on the outside in case she needed to get away from Shelby. Rachel looked down at her hands, not wanting to start the conversation that she was sure would end painfully for her. However, Shelby didn't appear to have the same reservations and tried to get Rach talking.

"Hi, Rachel. Thanks for meeting me here. I know it must have been hard for you to agree to this, but I want you to know I really appreciate it."

Rachel tightened her grip on Puck's hand before answering with a simple, "Hi."

It could have been his imagination, but he could swear he saw her eyes flash with anger at Shelby's words. He was angry himself. How the Hell did she think she knew anything?

Shelby tried again. "Rachel, would you like something to eat? I was thinking maybe Chicken Alfredo, but if you have any preferences."

Puck noticed that she had so far avoided any opportunities to ask him anything, so he figured he would insert himself into the conversation.

"She's a vegan," he said sharply, annoyed that Rachel's own mother didn't know that.

At least she had the decency to look ashamed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Rach."

At that, Rachel's head snapped up. "Do not call me that, you haven't earned the right. Only my friends and family are allowed to call me that. As you are neither, I would appreciate it if you didn't. It is also not alright that you did not know that I was a vegan, as I mentioned it in one of our few meetings. I had assumed that you at least tried to remember what I told you, as I remembered what you told me.

"I remembered that your favorite color is green, not purple as everyone thinks. I remembered that you love gold stars just like I do, your favorite Broadway star is Barbra, and that you are allergic to cherries and cats. I remembered all that, and you couldn't remember the huge lifestyle choice that I made 5 years ago, that I would not consume anything coming from an animal. Thank you, _Mother._"

Shelby simply looked shocked. Rachel had never blown up at her before. Not when she left her the first time after meeting her at the Vocal Adrenaline practice, or even the second time, after she had been coaching yet another rival team-after telling her daughter that she didn't want to coach anymore.

But now she had...and Shelby had no idea what to do. Her maternal instinct, which had suddenly shown itself after she had adopted Beth, told her to run over and hug her daughter, and rock her, and apologize. However, she knew that Rachel would not appreciate or allow that, so she kept her distance, aching to comfort her daughter.

"Rachel, I-I-I'm so sorry. I don't know what I can do to make up for this. I know I hurt you, and I'm sorry, but can you please give me another chance, or something? I am so sorry for all that I did to you, everything." Shelby's eyes started to tear.

Rachel glared at her; Shelby had no right to be making her feel guilty. Shelby should be the only one feeling guilty, not her. She couldn't deal with this anymore. She pulled on Noah's arm.

"Can we go," she whispered in his ear. Shelby watched them. "I can't stay, it hurts too much. I was wrong, I can't do this."

He nodded. Rachel stepped up and started walking to the door without an explanation.

"We have to go," Puck explained for her.

Shelby got up and jumped toward Rachel, catching her arm. Rachel yanked her arm out of Shelby's grasp hissing, "Don't touch me." and continuing to walk to the door.

Shelby looked brokenly at Puck. "Please..."

He shrugged. "It's up to her. It's not Rachel's fault that you leave behind a disaster whenever you come here. People always end up getting hurt."

Shelby knew he was talking about them as much as he was about Rachel and Shelby, but she just watched him leave, the tears finally leaving her eyes.

Puck drove Rachel back to her house, and walked her up to the door. He hugged her and waited for her to go in, then walked back out to his truck and drove home. It was up to her, now. He would offer advice, but he was out of ideas.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the reviews-tomfeltonlover1991, sillystarshine, Vienna98, and Drea LuRuiz! A lot of you were saying you don't want Rachel to forgive Shelby immediately, and don't worry, she won't. Shelby will be working hard to get another chance! As for Rachel/Puck, I am thinking about a different direction for that, as you will see in this chapter-hope you guys like it!**

* * *

When the Berry fathers arrived home, they immediately went up to Rachel's room, hoping that her visit with Shelby had gone well. It was rather a silly hope, for as soon as they stepped into her room, they were met with sobs and hiccups from her attempts to stop them.

"Oh, Rachel. What happened?" LeRoy asked.

"Sweetheart, talk to us." Hiram seconded after a few moments of silence.

"Daddy's, I love you, but I really cannot talk about this right now," Rachel said between little hiccups. "I can't deal with it right now."

The two men murmured 'Goodnight honey's' and 'we love you's' to Rachel before stepping out of the room to go downstairs and eat. As much as they wanted to comfort their daughter, their was nothing they could do if she didn't want to talk to them.

Back in her room, Rachel decided to forgo her nightly routine, instead just hopping into the shower then falling asleep, dreaming of falling into a loving mother's arms and being held, safe and protected in her mother's warm embrace.

* * *

Rachel drove herself to school the next morning and was met by a rather perturbed Finn, who after asking her if she would go to California with him, declared her to be in love with who she wanted him to be instead of who she was. She had honestly been considering that herself lately. She did love Finn, or at least she thought she did, but she had realized over the past few days that she couldn't talk to him about everything like she used to. It wasn't the same with him anymore. It hadn't been for a long time. She wasn't sure why she agreed to marry him in the first place. She was secretly glad about the wedding being postponed, as she wasn't sure if she could go through with it. And though she wasn't sure if Finn had just broken up with her or not, she knew that she wasn't overly upset about his declaration. And she knew that wasn't right.

After her second class, Honors Calculus, she walked out of the room to be met with a stinging slushy to the face. Glancing up out of her stinging eyes, she sees Finn is the one holding the offending drink. She gasps and runs to the bathroom, sobbing.

She hasn't been slushied in so long that she has started not packing extra clothes for herself. She tries to wipe it off, but the sticky drink has soaked in to her clothing. Adding more difficulty is her inability to see through the incessant tears. She can't believe that Finn would have done this to her.

She ends up simply sitting down on the locker room benches, hoping one of the Cheerios wouldn't come in and see her like this; they would probably only laugh. She had accidentally run into the Cheerio locker room in her blind attempt to get out of the hall.

However, her prayer is not answered, as none other than Quinn Fabray walked in. She had recently been reinstated as head cheerleader, and, coincidentally, become a bitch once again. In fact, even after all they had been through, and Rachel's several attempts to befriend the girl, Quinn had reverted to her old nicknames for her (Ru Paul, Yentl, etc.).

Rachel had been quite anguished over the girl's shift in behavior and the taunting that came along with it. She had been so close to achieving the long awaited friendship, but now it didn't really matter.

When Quinn took in the slushy-covered diva, her first instinct was to laugh at the girl. However, when she saw Rachel's tear-stained face and puffy eyes, the act went away and she walked up to her, concerned.

Rachel cowered as Quinn walked towards her. On normal occasions, she would attempt to throw up a confident pose, but that was difficult to achieve when covered in slushy.

"Rachel, who did this to you?" Quinn broke the silence.

Rachel looked away, ashamed to admit that it was her fiance; though she supposed the slushy was a way of telling her it was over.

When Quinn refused to look away, though, she mumbled out his name.

"What'd you say?" The cheerleader genuinely looked concerned, so Rachel replied, hoping it wasn't going to backfire and Quinn wouldn't make fun of her for it.

"Finn. Finn did it." With that, she broke into a fresh round of sobs, burying her face in her hands. When she recovered, though, she looked up to see an angry glint in Quinn's eyes.

"Finn? Finn did this to you? How could he do that?" Although the girl was furious that Finn had thrown a slushy at Rachel, she knew that it was more pressing to help the girl in front of her than to follow Santana's lead and slap him.

"Do you have a change of clothes, Rach?"

When the girl shook her head, Quinn ran back to her locker and grabbed some jean shorts and a tee that she always kept in her locker for emergencies. She brought it over to the slushy-covered girl.

"They'll be a bit big, but they'll do for now." she said.

Rachel nodded, still refusing to speak, and went to change in the stalls. She came out, the shorts were about mid-thigh, and the shirt fit alright.

Quinn wiped off Rachel's face and helped her wash out her hair and blow-dry it out, so no one could tell she had been slushied, if they hadn't heard about it by now.

"Rachel, do you want to go back to class, or we could go for lunch and leave for a bit. We can get back in time for Glee then, if you don't want to go to anymore classes."

"Can-can we leave? Please."

Quinn nodded furiously. "Come on, we'll go in my car."

The two girls walked out to the blonde's car and climbed in.

"Breadsticks okay?"

"Yeah, that's great." Rachel replied. She was warming up now that she knew Quinn wasn't going to make fun of her.

They picked out a booth in the back, and ordered sodas and their meals.

"Rachel, what does this mean, for you and Finn I mean."

Rachel shrugged in response. "I don't know, he'll probably ask me to forgive him, but I'm done with that. I don't think I even love him anymore. I haven't really liked him for a while, and none of my other relationships lasted. Guys are just not my thing right now."

Quinn's eyes lit up. "Really?" She sounded too excited, so she switched to a quieter tone. "Why, Rach? You don't like any of them?"

She nodded in response. "I'm done with high school guys. I don't know. Thinking back on it, my relationships have never been that great. It's really more like I'm picking which one has hurt me the least, but then they go ahead and hurt me again."

Quinn had had a crush on Rachel since the tenth grade. That was why she had bullied her so much, Rachel was something she could never have. She belittled her to make the girl less desirable to her, it didn't work though.

She reached over and took Rachel's hand. "Maybe it's because you're looking in the wrong direction."

Rachel raised her eyebrow questioningly.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Just that you should keep your eyes open; the one you fall in love with could have been there the whole time."

With that, the food came, and they switched to lighter topics. Rachel found that she could talk to Quinn much better than anyone, excluding Noah. Quinn made her feel safe, despite everything she had done to Rachel. It didn't make sense, but then, what really did?

* * *

That night, when Rachel went to bed, she thought about what Quinn could have meant with her comment. Her eyes widened. She couldn't have been talking about herself could she? Quinn had gotten pregnant-she obviously liked guys, or did she? Rachel had had a sneaking suspicion for a while that she had been gay, but her sudden feelings for Quinn confirmed her belief. Maybe it was just because the girl had helped her today, but who knows.

She was so consumed in her thoughts that she almost forgot to think about Shelby that night. But when her gaze landed on the cup on her bedside table, it all came rushing back.

She couldn't forget her mother, but she had to let go, at least for now.

* * *

**So I hope you liked it! What do you guys think about the pairing? I've personally always like Faberry, but I don't know if everyone else does. Thanks for reading. By the way, if you guys have any ideas about what you want to happen, I'd be happy to look at them-I'd like to see where you want it to go and maybe combine it with my ideas. Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for all the reviews! I really hope you like this chapter, because it took me forever to write it. **

* * *

"When Rachel pulled up to the school the next morning, she was met with a protective-looking Quinn, who insisted on walking her to the school and then to all of her classes. She would show up just as her class was ending and walk her to the next one. As much as Rachel enjoyed not being made fun of by the girl, she was quite confused with the constant following.

She finally confronted the blonde. "Quinn, what is it? You've been watching me like a hawk all day. Is this because of Finn or something? What's going on?"

She chewed on her lip, thinking. "Well..."

"Quinn...," I said warningly.

She sighed, giving up. "Rachel, Shelby was waiting for you to show up to school this morning. I didn't want her bothering you, so I sent her away. However, I didn't know if she would try to come back or not so I had to keep an eye on you."

"Ok...but how did you find out about that? Did I tell you that she talked to me?"

"No...but, Puck may have..."

"That boy is going to get it!" I exclaimed. I realized as I looked over at Quinn that she seemed hurt by my reluctance to tell her.

"Quinn, it's not that I don't want you to know, it's that I don't want everyone to know. And I have a bad feeling that it's already spread among the Glee club."

"Heh, heh, heh" she laughed awkwardly.

"Brilliant! Simply brilliant! Now everyone is going to find out! This is what I was trying to avoid." I take a deep breath. "But it's okay; you had my best interest at heart and it's alright. It's alright," I repeat, more to convince myself than anything.

Quinn looks ashamed, so I pat her on the shoulder, "It's alright, really Quinn. I'd rather they hear it from you guys than someone else. And by that I mean Shelby herself. What do you think I should do about that. I asked Noah, but he says he is out of ideas. Maybe you could give me your opinion. I'm really lost. I mean, she is my mother. I wanted so long to meet her. But she can't leave me again. And on top of that, I'm still furious that she replaced me and she slept with Noah-I mean really! Quinn, I don't have anything against Beth, it's Shelby replacing me, not Beth-she did nothing."

I mentioned the last part because she looked quite devastated that I wouldn't like her baby.

"No, Rach...I-I understand. I don't know what you should do. Wait and see if she approaches you. I promise I won't get involved again unless you expressly tell me to do so, alright? But I know it'll work out one way or another. You'll get past it. Even if you don't have the relationship with Shelby that you wanted originally, at least you'll be able to use the emotional experience on Broadway!" She said, trying to make a joke.

Rachel smiled, "Oh, absolutely."

* * *

When they made their way to the choir room after school, they were greeted with a silent room. As soon as they walked in, it was made clear why.

In the far corner of the room, talking earnestly to Mr. Schue, was Shelby. Apparently she had managed to sweet-talk him into letting her come in. Or maybe she convinced him the same way she did Noah. No, Rachel, you oughtn't to think like that, she said to herself.

Immediately after she saw Rachel enter, Shelby made her way over to her.

"Rachel, please come talk to me." she said, touching her arm lightly. "I really want to talk to you. I am so sorry, and I want to at least have you be able to call me a friend," she begged.

"Only if Noah and Quinn can come with me-otherwise, the answer is no." Shelby looked at her imploringly, but in the end, conceded. She wanted to talk with her daughter, with or without an audience.

They walked out into the hallway.

"Okay, Shelby, talk. What is it that you have to say to me?"

Shelby was stunned for a moment by the cold in Rachel's voice, but it didn't stop her for long.

"Rachel, I know I hurt you, and you know that if I could go back, I would do it all differently. I never wanted it to be like this. Also, I want you to know that Beth is not a replacement for you. You cannot be replaced. You came from me. And though I love Beth the same as if she had come from me, you are my daughter too, and I see so much of myself in you. I love you so much, Rachel."

It took her a few seconds to get through all of the information Shelby had just imposed on her.

"Yes you did replace me! How can you say that she isn't a replacement? What the Hell else would she be? You found me, declared me unworthy of your love, and left me for a newer model. What else would you call that? You say you love me, but none of your actions agree with that! _You _found _me_, not the other way around, then you left me. You came back after you adopted Beth, slept with Noah, had a talk with Quinn, then left. Yeah, you wrote my application-after I came to you. You never would have approached me. Oh, and, though you said you were done coaching; you wanted a family," she sneers the last word. "but somehow you could coach the Troubletones-because they weren't me! I am so tired of you coming into my life and leaving! It hurts so much!"

Rachel ran out of the hallway, leaving Quinn and Noah with a sobbing Shelby.

She managed to choke out, "Do you think she'll ever forgive me?"

Quinn responds, "She forgave me, she'll forgive you. Think about this from her perspective, though I hurt her, I was never supposed to love her unconditionally, and neither was Noah. You were, though. That is your job as a mother. I don't regret giving you Beth, because I know you'll take care of her; at least now I know that, but sometimes I get scared that you'll abandon her, and she'll get hurt like Rachel. Go find her now, she needs you to go after her. It's part of her thing. She runs away, then we go find her and talk sense into her. Just show her you really care."

Shelby thanked her and nodded, setting off to find the daughter who hated her so much.

Fortunately, because they were so alike, she found Rachel right away; in the auditorium, singing.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Leave a review if you can please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys. Just wondering if any of you have any ideas; I'd love to put them in the story somehow. Thanks for the reviews!**

* * *

Instead of disturbing the girl, who was currently handing Brad the sheet music for her song, Shelby crept around to the back of auditorium to sit and watch. She wanted to ensure that Rachel would be unable to see her from her position on stage. That way, Shelby would be able to really see her baby without the facade she normally kept in place around her mother. She knew the performance would be directed at her, and though she knew it would hurt, Shelby really wanted to make Rachel stop hating her and thought the song could give her insight into what she was doing wrong.

The girl moved to center stage, taking a minute to collect herself. She took several deep breaths, then signaled Brad to begin. He complied, now used to the dramatics that followed the girl.

The introductory notes to Kelly Clarkson's song, 'Cry' rang out across the room and Rachel's clear voice rang through the hall as she started to sing.

**If anyone asks**

**I'll tell them we both just moved on**

**When people all stare**

**I'll pretend that I don't hear them talk**

**Whenever I see you**

**I'll swallow my pride and bite my tongue**

**Pretend I'm okay with it all**

**Act like there's nothing wrong**

-Shelby's eyes brimmed with unshed tears.-

**Is it over yet**

**Can I open my eyes**

**Is this as hard as it gets**

**Is this what it feels like to really cry**

**Cry**

**If anyone asks**

**I'll tell them we just grew apart**

**What do I care**

**If they believe me or not**

**Whenever I feel**

**Your memory is breaking my heart**

**I'll pretend I'm okay with it all**

**Act like there's nothing wrong**

**Is it over yet**

**Can I open my eyes**

**Is this as hard as it gets**

**Is this what it feels like to really cry**

**Cry**

**I'm talking in circles**

**I'm lying, they know it**

**Why won't this just all go away**

**Is it over yet**

**Can I open my eyes**

**Is this as hard as it gets**

**Is this what it feels like to really cry**

**Cry**

By the end of the song, both Rachel and Shelby were in tears, though Rachel was still unaware of the other woman's presence. Shelby couldn't stay away from the devastated girl and ached to comfort her. She stood up and moved to the aisle, then walked down to stage through the seats, gathering Rachel in her arms

Though the girl wanted desperately to pull away, she found herself sink further into her mother's embrace. After a moment, though, reality sank back in and she wrenched herself out of Shelby's grasp, sitting up and scooting away. She curled herself up and stuck her head between her knees, breathing deeply. Looking hurt, Shelby stayed where she was, not wanting to make the girl more uncomfortable than she already was.

She heard a small sound from her daughter.

"What was that, Rachel?"

"Why," it came a little louder this time.

"Why, what?" Shelby was extremely confused.

"Why now, why pretend that you care now? You don't understand how much I want you to love me. And though you say you do, you're just going to leave me again. I can't deal with that-not again. Why can't you just leave me alone?" She was sobbing now. She couldn't catch a breath and started to hyperventilate.

Shelby didn't know what to do. Her daughter was sitting in front of her, gasping for breath, but she couldn't do anything. So she did the only thing she could think of. She ran for the choir room, grabbing Quinn and Noah to help her.

"What did you do to her?" Puck yelled angrily.

Shelby put her hands to her face in helplessness. "She sang, then I hugged her. She hugged me back, then pulled away suddenly, then started sobbing; I think she's hyperventilating. I needed help to calm her down. She doesn't trust me."

Puck and Quinn ran in after hearing this and sat next to Rachel. Quinn took her hand and placed it on her chest, over her heart, so Rachel could hear the steady beats.

"Rach, breathe with me, please Honey. You've got to breathe. Come on. In and out, in and out, in and out." She sat there with her, chanting those words until the panicked girl finally listened to her and her breathing evened out.

But as soon as her gaze focused on Shelby standing off to the side, looking helpless, her gasps started again. Quinn glared at her until she got the hint and walked out into the auditorium. Standing far enough back that Rachel couldn't see her, but close enough that she could still make sure her daughter was alright.

Slowly Rachel's breaths evened out and she calmed against the taller girl's touch.

"Okay, there, Rach. Slow, steady breathing. You're okay, you're fine, it's all gonna be okay, I promise."

The brunette looked up gratefully at Quinn and smiled softly.

"Thanks, I think I'm okay now, though." Quinn got the hint and pulled her arm off Rachel quickly.

"Ok, Rach, you want to go home, now?" Noah questioned softly.

Rachel nodded and he helped her off the ground, supporting most of her weight as they walked to the door. Her legs were still shaky from her panic attack, though, so he ended up pulling her up into his arms and carrying her out to his car.

"Quinn, you drive Rach's car home, and I'll drive you back to pick up yours after we are sure she's okay and with her dads."

They were so consumed in making sure Rachel was alright, that neither noticed a tall brunette watching them sadly. Rachel did, though. The girl was unsure what she should do. In the end, she gave a small smile, watched as her mother's face lit up, and turned back to Noah, exhausted.

Noah drove Rachel home, then left with Quinn to pick up her car and go home. Rachel quickly fell asleep, physically and emotionally exhausted.

* * *

**Okay, I hope you liked it! Sorry this took me so long, but here it is! Finals are coming up and I'm studying a lot...but I'll keep updating whenever I have time. Reviews mean so much to me, so if you have time, please leave one for me! Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and story alerts!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys. If anyone's still reading, I am so sorry about my complete failure. I would blame it on finals, and that is part of it, but I really just could not get myself to write anything down for this one. Total writer's block. But I did write a chapter for A Very Wicked Summer-so check that out if you'd like. The author is _ElphieistheShiz._ I hope you like it-chapter 8!**

**~Abigail**

* * *

I watched as Noah pulled Rachel into the car, then pulled off with Quinn in Rachel's car trailing behind them.

She smiled at me. Maybe she really didn't hate me after all. I was so angry at myself; I hurt her so badly and there was nothing I could think of to do.

I climbed into my car and drove to the sitter's to pick up my baby. She ran to the door, slightly unsteadily, and hugged my legs when I got there. Thank goodness I knew Beth would always love me, well at least until she became a teenager-then who knew what would happen.

I picked her up, payed the sitter, and walked back to my car setting Beth in her car seat. She chattered to me all the way back home. I loved moments like these-when she was happily talking to me and I could just relax and listen to her.

She babbled most of the way home, but fell silent when I started singing. I looked back after a minute or two and saw her eyes drooping. I kept it up until we reached the house and pulled my sleeping child out of the back. I lifted her into my arms, careful not to jostle her too much and wake her up.

I locked the car and walked to the house, maneuvering Beth onto my hip and unlocking the front door with my other hand, then walking inside. I dropped my bags on the floor and put Beth on the couch for a nap.

Walking into the kitchen, I set a bottle to warm and pulled out some salad for dinner. Beth had a can of spaghettios She was at that stage where that is all that she would eat, aside from ice cream and chicken noodle soup. I poured them into a bowl and set them on the table, then went to wake Beth. I fed her, bathed her, and put her down, then finally settled down to eat my own dinner.

The only thing I could think of was Rachel. I had really screwed up, hadn't I? I didn't know what to do to get her to understand how incredibly sorry I was-not that it mattered now anyway. I had already done the damage and no amount of apologies were going to change it.

I finally went to bed, having decided absolutely nothing to do about my relationship with Rachel. I fell asleep quickly, tired from the day's stress.

* * *

Rachel woke up the next morning to her usual alarm ringing out insistently. She groaned, rolled over, and buried her face in her pillow. However, when it refused to shut up, she glared at the offending device then slid out of bed and turned it off. She always placed it on her dresser on the other side of the room so she couldn't press the snooze button without getting out of bed.

She walked to her elliptical, starting her usual morning routine of half an hour on the elliptical, then showering, brushing hair and teeth, and pulling on her clothes; which today entailed a short brown dress and a white cardigan. She glanced at herself in the mirror and added a touch of make-up to complete the look. She smiled at her reflection, pleased with her overall appearance.

She grabbed an extra pair of shorts and a tank top in case Finn decided to slushy her again, and hurried down to her car, grabbing a banana for breakfast on the way out.

Since she was now driving herself to school instead of Finn, her little car was getting used much more often. She ran out, climbed in, and was about to pull out when she saw a red smart car pull into her driveway with a blonde waving at her from the driver's side.

"Hey, Rach! Though you might like a ride with me!"

Rachel smiled brightly at Quinn's offer, "Yeah, sure. That would be great!" She grinned and walked quickly over to the small car.

"I love your car-it's so cute!" Quinn grinned at the brunette's excitement. "I do too!"

Rachel mock glared at her, causing Quinn to chuckle under her breath. Rachel huffed and sat back against the seat.

As they pulled up to the school and found a parking space, Quinn turned to Rachel with a more serious look on her face. "Rachel, I know that you do not want to hear this, but I really think that you and Shelby need to talk to each-other. Like...not yelling at her and running away, but more of an actual talk. You guys are both so dramatic and you're trying to get out of it, but I know you want to talk to her and I know you want a mother. I'm not saying that you should do it today, or this week, even. But you have to talk to her sometime or you're going to regret it."

Rachel simply stared at her for a moment, regaining her composure. "Quinn, I know you think you understand, but I...I can't. Not again. I want so much to do what you're saying, but I don't know if I could do that without breaking down and crying in front of her. I can't show her that she affects me. I can't let her know that she has that power over me. I'm too scared that she will leave again once she gets to know me more and I can not deal with that again."

She girl got out and walked quickly to the school, ignoring the blonde calling her name. As soon as she walked into the school, she wished she had not left Quinn in the car. Rachel was met with a stinging slushy to the face, and once again, from her ex-fiance.

The tears sprung up much more quickly this time, and she ran off to the nearest bathroom, sobbing loudly. The slightest touch of guilt showed on Finn's face, but he shrugged it off and, slinging an arm around his teammates, walked away talking loudly.

* * *

Quinn ran into the school a few seconds later and noticed the slushy stains on the ground. She shook her head and glanced around for Rachel. She noticed Puck leaning against the lockers at the other end of the hall and went up to him.

"Hey, Quinn, what's up? Don't you usually trail Rachel?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about," she said, ignoring the comment. "Have you seen her? She ran away from the car because I tried to talk to her about the whole Shelby situation. But anyway, has she talked to you?"

"Nope, haven't seen her. Need some help?" he asked.

"Yes, thanks Puck. I'm going to check the bathrooms, you get choir room and auditorium. I'll text you if I find her."

They parted and ran down the halls. Quinn went into the Cheerios locker room first, then down to the one by the front doors to the school. Here she found Rachel, sobbing quietly and trying to get the slushy out of her hair.

"Oh God, Rachel. Did Finn do this?" She nodded and Quinn sent a text to Puck telling him where they were, then started helping Rachel with washing her hair out.

Puck burst in a few moments later, looking extremely worried.

"Rachel! Who threw a slushy at you? It better not have been one of the football guys-they'll be getting it!"

"No, it—it was Finn." She said this so quietly he could barely hear, but when he finally understood, and it took him a while, his face turned bright red.

"I'm going to kill the kid." He turned and stormed out of the bathroom, banging the door shut behind him.

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it! I think part of the reason it took me so long to update was I wrote a lot in the beginning and uploaded it all at once, so I'm going to be changing my whole uploading strategy. I am going to upload on average once a week, but I have no idea how that is going to work out. Anyway-hope you guys are all enjoying your summer-ours started this week. Thanks!**


End file.
